A few years back I was hiking in the mountains of Southern California. My friends and I planned a day hike to peak we never hiked before. It turned out to be harder than we’d experienced thus far. There wasn’t as much water on the trail as we expected and some in our party were slower than we were used to.
When we finally reached the peak, we were exhausted and nearly out of water. We didn’t have the luxury of resting, of enjoying the accomplishment of bagging this peak because the noon-day sun was hours behind us. Darkness was just hours away. The hike back was miserable. We took a wrong turn because of our exhaustion and unfamiliarity with the trail. This added a mile or two to the hike.
Eventually, darkness fell. We found some water, and we had food, so we weren’t in mortal danger. But didn’t have light.
None of us had hiked in the dark before, and we didn’t plan on this hike taking so long. I didn’t even own a headlamp at the time. So, we used our phones, one at a time, like flashlights to guide us.
At first, we were uneasy…unsure of what to expect. Shadows would jar us and sounds would spook us. Our bodies ached. My head pounded with pain. But the trail wasn’t as scary anymore. We grew into the experience. Eventually, we got into the comfortable rhythm of hiking.
Once I got back to my car, I swore I would never hike again.
Lies.
I was planning the next hike only days later.
But I learned lessons that day. I’ve hiked at night numerous times since. I now have a headlamp and carry it on every hike, no matter the length. There is still some intimidation when hiking in the darkness, but I’m not afraid of it and the feeling passes quickly.
The ultimate lesson here is that experiencing discomfort usually leads to the best kind of comfort.
Meat Eater
Morgan Fallon was in Alaska with outdoorsman Steve Rinella. The weather was wet, foggy, and cold, yet they sat in a boat on a lake, eating crawdads raw and throwing the remains overboard.
They started reminiscing about past experiences. Fallon, a TV producer, never experienced Rinella’s world. Few have.
Rinella is a hunter and an outdoor activist. He seems most comfortable in the wild, eating meat he killed there. Fallon, by contrast, grew up in an anti-hunting family. Yet, here they were hunting deer together.
And that’s the thing about experiences. They expose you to new things, new ideas, new ways to view the world. Regarding his memories of trips with Rinella, Fallon says, “Most of the fond memories have something to do with some form of discomfort.”
Experience Discomfort
I look back at my hike with a sense of fondness. I enjoyed the time with my friends, of time in nature. Looking back, you dismiss discomfort and remember the experience positively. You learn from any discomfort you felt or realize it was only temporary.
Discomfort is not something to avoid, but something to pursue. Doing so helps you grow and become more resilient.
Experiencing discomfort also sheds dependencies. I know I can hike in the dark now, so I don’t need the sun to help me. Fallon knows he can hunt for deer if the need arises.
Author Ryan Holiday writes, “Make yourself invulnerable to your dependency on comfort and convenience.”
When we can face discomfort and come out comfortable, we can face any challenge the world throws at us.
